Review: Chef-Created Ice Cream at Epcot’s New Juice Bar

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So, let’s say you’ve just polished off an assortment of tapas and Mediterranean wine at Spice Road Table, the newest restaurant in Epcot’s Morocco Pavilion. Perhaps you enjoyed the Lamb Slider or Salted Cod Croquettes, accompanied by Spice Road’s Signature Sangria, but maybe you still have a little room left for something sweet.

Or maybe it’s just a warm day in Florida, and you need a little something cool and refreshing as you stroll around World Showcase.

In either case, you’re in good hands, because Morocco’s new Juice Bar has an assortment of Chef-created ice cream available… and it’s worth a stop!

Spice Road Table and Shops in the Morocco Pavilion

Atmosphere

The newest structure in the Pavilion serves several purposes: first, it is the home to Spice Road Table, and we invite you to take a look at our Photo Tour from opening day to get an idea of the entire space and some of the stunning detail (and don’t forget to check out our menu review, too!).

Spice Road Table

Additionally, it houses a retail area, a station to receive a traditional Henna tattoo (“The Art of Henna”), and the space we are visiting today, the Juice Bar!

Facing the lagoon, you’ll find the Juice Bar on the far right – the first thing you approach coming from the Japan Pavilion. The entire space serves as a lovely extension of the Pavilion, and the various features only enhance its already festive marketplace feel.

The Juice Bar

Eats

Well, it’s called a “Juice Bar,” but upon closer inspection of the menu, you’ll find that this space offers a whole lot more! (We’re hoping to see more actual JUICES here soon, too!)

However, we were also very intrigued by the Chef-created ice cream, and Disney Food Blog was excited to have the very first scoops! So, grab your spoon and dive in with us!

First bite!

First up: the flavors! The names alone tell you that you’re in for a unique treat: choices include Chocolate and Cinnamon, Green Tea, Pistachio with Orange Blossom Water, Strawberry and Red Bean, and Toasted Almond with Rosewater.

Guests receive two scoops of ice cream in a cone or cup for $4.99 (you can choose the same flavor or a combo). For our first round, the chef asked which flavor I most wanted to try. The Chocolate and Cinnamon was at the top of my list, and I asked the Chef for his recommendation for my second scoop. He directed me to the Toasted Almond with Rosewater.

Chocolate and Cinnamon on the left, Toasted Almond with Rosewater on the right

From the first bite, the texture of the Toasted Almond with Rosewater stood out to me even more than the unique flavor. The abundance of almonds offers LOTS of crunch in every bite. The rosewater flavor was mild, but really quite pleasant. It came through more in the aftertaste for me.

On to the Chocolate and Cinnamon… oh, wow. WOW! Rich, creamy and decadent chocolate with just enough cinnamon to give it some distinction and spice, this one was my absolute favorite.

The “scoop” on the Green Tea is very cut and dried: if green tea is your thing, then this is for you. Otherwise, you’ll want to take a pass. The flavor of green tea is exceptionally strong, and seems to be something people either love or hate — there’s not much middle ground on green tea !

The Pistachio with Orange Blossom Water, on the other hand, may change some minds… I’m typically pretty neutral towards Pistachio ice cream. While I’ll eat it in a mix with another flavor, it’s not something I would go out of my way to order. But this blend is truly refreshing. The sweetness of the pistachio was balanced with a mild citrus from the orange blossom water. I really enjoyed it, and my husband – who could live on chocolate ice cream – said this one was up there with the Chocolate and Cinnamon for him.

In fact, we went back for more of it. You’ll see that, for our last flavor combo, we selected more of the Pistachio to go along with the Strawberry and Red Bean.

Pistachio on the left, Strawberry and Red Bean on the right

Again, the texture really stood out here: it’s not quite as icy as a sorbet, yet not as creamy as most ice creams – it finds an interesting middle ground between the two. The presence of red bean gives this one a much fuller body as opposed to just a sweet strawberry.

It’s important to note that this entire area remains in its soft-opening stage, so items are subject to change. In fact, on the very first day we already heard mention of an additional flavor on the way!

Overall

With the Morocco Pavilion standing right next to France, I was somewhat surprised at having another ice cream stop so close to L’Artisan des Glaces. But the wide variety of flavors offered between the two only adds to the abundance of choices, and the flavors found at Morocco’s Juice Bar are in no way redundant.

It’s always fun to see the creations that Disney chefs invent when given the opportunity, and I’ll be waiting with interest (and a spoon!) for whatever they come up with next!

Which flavor of Chef-created ice cream would you like to try? Please let us know with a comment!

11 Comments

I’m very excited to try the ice cream here, and the flavor choices are all somewhat interesting. That said, I’m most excited to try the ones that seem particularly Moroccan/Middle Eastern: almond-rosewater and pistachio-orange blossom water.

I like that they automatically give you two scoops that way you can try more without breaking the bank. I would have to try the chocolate and cinnamon and maybe the strawberry and red bean. I think the flavore between the two would be great!

thanks for taking one for the team Wendy, lol! I love green tea ice cream so I’m sure I would enjoy it.. actually, I think I would enjoy every flavor here. I do think it’s funny that green tea and red bean ice cream, at least to me, seems to be more Asian flavors though and I do have to say when I first heard it was a “juice bar” I got super excited… I wish Disney would offer fresh squeezed juice in all of the parks! Now THAT would be really awesome!